Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher of Brazil [April 2014]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
March 31, 2014
Dear Brethren and Friends,
Alta and I greet you from the Mission House in Lexington, KY. We arrived in the States on the 28th of March. Paul and Wanda had made arrangements for us to come to Manaus to bring Alta and I home for furlough. David came to Urai and helped us on the trip to Manaus. We were in Manaus for eight days. On our last Sunday before leaving Urai, the Church in Urai had a special service for us with pastors and people from all their missions and churches we had begun. It was an emotional experience.
The next day we flew from Londrina to Manaus. On the 28th of March, we arrived in Nashville where Paul rented a van. We arrived in Lexington with all our baggage on the 28th. We are living in the Mission House that was prepared and waiting for us. We plan to be in the Mission House for at least two months and to attend the Spring Missions Conference at Thompson Road Baptist Church on April 28, 29, 30.
On our first Sunday home, we attended the Bible School and morning service at the Thompson Road Baptist Church where Brother Dave Parks is pastor. That night we attended the services at the New Life Baptist Church where Brother Steve Wainright is pastor. We were blessed to have fellowship with the dear people of these two faithful churches.
Paul, our son, and Wanda are on furlough, also. They are caring for us. We will probably be living in Florida part of this year also.
WORK IN BRAZIL – Praise the Lord, the work in Brazil continues to grow and reach out.
Alta and I thank you for your prayers and financial support through our sixty years as missionaries in Brazil. God bless you.
In the Name of our Lord Jesus,
John and Alta Hatcher
1012 Balsam Drive
Lexington, KY 40504
859.277.3716
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher on Furlough from Brazil [April 2014]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 40 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
April 1st 2014
Dear friends,
God is always gracious and good. Each day He reveals His love and tender mercies. We are writing from the mission residence in Lexington, Kentucky. Wanda and I are in the states for a year furlough along with my parents, missionaries John and Alta Hatcher, and Wanda’s mom, Willa McGary, who had come to live with us in Brazil.
Dad and Mom have lived and served in Brazil for sixty years; Wanda and I have been serving there for 40 years. We are enjoying seeing old time friends and getting adjusted to a different pace and ways.
We had a wonderful trip, and the Lord provided great help along the way, as three were in wheelchairs. Everything went smoothly – planes on time, good connections. We praise the Lord.
March 24, we organized a new church in Coroado 1 subdivision. The church was organized with 45 founding members. Ivaldo Junior, the evangelist who started the congregation, was ordained to the pastoral ministry on the same day. We rejoice to see the kingdom of our Father grow and multiply.
Missionary Raimundo Pinto moved to Aracaju, capital of the State of Sergipe, in northeastern Brazil, to start a new church plant. Pray for the family as they make new friends and contact people to begin evangelizing and teaching the new believers. He is looking and praying concerning the best location to rent. Pray for this new church start and for the family that they will fully rely on God to overcome all the challenges usually associated with new beginnings.
We are available and will be glad to share and speak about missions. We would love to have the opportunity to talk about the great things that God has done and is doing as well as opportunities available to each of us, individuals and churches.
We are looking forward to seeing each of you during the coming year. See many of you at the Spring Mission Conference on behalf of Baptist Faith Missions at the Thompson Road Baptist Church in Lexington with Pastor Dave Parks.
Yours in Christ,
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
rphatcher[at]gmail.com
239.277.6551
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Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher in Brazil [March 2014]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
February 24, 2014
Dear Brothers, Sisters and Friends of Baptist Faith Missions,
It is a great blessing for an old man to be able to write another letter to dear Friends like you. Alta and I are eighty-eight years old and you have been our dear supporting and praying partners for over fifty-five years for our ministry here in Brazil. It is a very emotional moment for me.
As I was preparing to write, the phone rang. Sebastian Oliveira, a blind person from birth, was calling from two thousand miles away to greet Alta and me and to thank us for the blessing we had been to him. Sebastian was saved in the interior village of Mira Aua, about 1960, when we lived in Manaus and traveled to the interiors on the launch you dear friends helped to build. He has been a Baptist pastor for over thirty-five years.
Our first church plant was in an area called Chapada. It was in the boonies. It was begun through the Tabernacle Baptist Church where we were members. It was started with 24 members. Among the 24 were four future mothers of pastors; there were five future Baptist pastors, including Paul, John Mark, and David Hatcher. The mothers of Baptist preachers were Alta, Guilermina, our daughters, Lynn (now in heaven) and Kathy. We praise God for His promises and unfailing faithfulness.
God touched the Chapada plant in a special way with its pastors and work. On February 23, 2014, there were 5,000 persons in morning services and 6,300 persons in evening services. In the evening services there were over 300 decisions. Praise the Lord for the ministry of church planting!
Our praises to the Lord for His blessings to our family. Alta and I thank Him for our parents and homes who taught us the fear of the Lord and the power of His Word. God has blessed our dear children: three sons are Baptist pastors, two daughters are wives of pastors and mothers of pastors. We have fifteen grandchildren, all of whom are serving the Lord with their partners in definite church planting projects. We have 26 great grandchildren, and eight of those have trusted the Lord as Savior.
WORKS GOING WELL – The mission points are going well here. There are congregations in Assai, Urai, Sussumo, and Rancho Alegre. There are several faithful young pastors. Some are not married; please pray for God to give them the right partners.
The Lord willing, we hope to be at the Spring Missionary Conference in Lexington. Our son, Paul, is planning our trip with him and Wanda. We may be in the States by the time this letter gets to you.
God bless you each one. We love you in the Lord,
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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Missionary Update: John and Alta Hatcher in Brazil [February 2014]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
February 7, 2014
Dear Friends and Brethren,
About two months ago our son David and his wife, Pennie, took Alta and I on a cruise of eight days on the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. I was there during the Second World War as a seaman and it was just as beautiful as the first time I saw it.
During the cruise I had asked the Lord to open opportunities to witness of the saving Grace of Jesus Christ. One morning we were up on deck and I asked a young man what were his thoughts about Jesus the Savior.
“I am an atheist,” was his answer.
“Sir, two minutes after you die, you will not be an atheist,” was my reply. Why? Because the Bible tells of one who was an atheist or lived as one. In the sixteenth chapter of Luke, verses 16-31, we have the story of a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. If the rich man was not an atheist, he lived like one. Lazarus died and was carried by the angels to Heaven (Abraham’s bosom). The rich man died and was buried; in hell he lifted up his eyes and saw Lazarus in Heaven. When it was not possible for Lazarus to bring a drop of water for his burning tongue, he asked him to be sent back to tell his five brothers about Jesus.
I quickly told the young man about Lazarus and the rich man. I pray for his salvation each time I remember him. If God brings him to your mind, pray for him, also.
WHAT WE LEARN FROM THIS IMPORTANT STORY
- A person must hear the Gospel of Jesus to be able to believe.
- Each person who believes that Jesus died for them will be saved.
- After Death there is no second chance to be saved.
- He who dies in Christ will have eternal Joy.
- He who dies without the Lord will have eternal suffering.
- The most important task we have as Christians is to tell people that Jesus saves.
- With Jesus in our hearts, we should have at least as much zeal to tell the lost about Jesus as the rich man had as he suffered in Hell.
Sincerely yours in Jesus’ Name,
John and Alta Hatcher
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher [December 2013]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
November 27, 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings from Brazil. Here we are having summer weather and today is one of the most beautiful days you could imagine. Our day temperature runs in the upper nineties but the night temperature runs in the seventies. Alta and I are well in spite of my having some minor health problems. Yesterday, I changed an old water faucet and I spent a little time on my back with a small flashlight in my mouth. When it was time to get up I did not think I would make it–but I did. I went and bought a new faucet and, thank the Lord, I was able to install it. When done, there were no leaks and it is working perfectly. I told Alta, “Jesus was the carpenter of Nazareth and He is the plumber of Urai.” Believe me, without His help I would never have gotten the job done. I praise Him for His goodness in every phase of our lives.
MISSION WORKS GOING WELL
The church in URAI is doing well. The pastor, Marcio, is teaching a class in the Seminary on Tuesday nights. The young people are active and attendance is growing. SUSSUMO Mission is going well with a great group of primary and adolescents attending. RANCHO ALEGRE Mission is now being led by Wagner. He is married to a lovely lady and they have a beautiful family of three girls and a son.
SONIA DOS SANTOS
Please continue to pray for this dear sister, whose body had been taken over by cancer. Praise the Lord, our prayers have been answered and she has completed the treatment and is doing well. She has a year to go to finish the final treatment. Please continue to pray for the dear Sister. Amanda, the daughter of Valdir and Sonia, is expecting her first child the first of December. She is married to Clayton, a young preacher who pastors a Mission of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cornelio Procopio.
ODALI AND KATHY
Our youngest child, Kathy, and her husband are moving to the Amazon Valley to evangelize on the rivers. She flies out tonight with her three sons and the wife and baby of a couple who are going there to work with them. This takes our closest child to a distance of 3,000 miles from us. This is the most difficult aspect of being a missionary–to be so far from your children. However, we praise God that all are serving our wonderful Lord.
SOMETHING SPECIAL
Our son, David, has planned a special trip for his mother and me. He is taking us to Manaus to spend the month of December and also, to fly to Florida to make a cruise of eight days and to visit our sisters. He knows how I love the sea and ships. I was a Merchant Marine in the Second World War. I have prepared material in three languages for evangelizing while on board.
May God’s Grace be on each of you,
John and Alta Hatcher
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher in Brazil [November 2013]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
November 1, 2013
MOTHERS – GOD’S GIFT TO CHILDREN
Proverbs 31:10-31
The Value of a Virtuous Woman
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
God has touched my heart to write a little about the value of godly women. Their value is far above that of rubies (Prov. 31:10). Dear sisters in Christ, please read Proverbs 31:10-31.
This is a tribute to a godly missionary mother and wife. I was blessed by the letters written by our missionaries’ wives. I cannot speak for all the husbands, but I can speak with confidence about the two important mothers in my life: My mother who gave birth to me on April 30, 1925; and my wife, Alta, the mother of our five wonderful children, and our baby boy who was born dead in the village of Faro, North Brazil.
The conclusion to all that I desire to say is: The most vital element to great missions and great missionaries are godly wives and mothers. This is the testimony that God has given me in my life and I want to share with you. Alta and I went to Brazil in 1955. We had four children. Our last child, Kathy, was born in Brazil.
Alta is a school teacher. The first two years of our marriage she taught. When our first child, Lynn, was born she quit teaching since her job took her out of the home. When we started the school in Manaus, she taught English because she could take the children with her. Her life was dedicated to Deus as a wife and mother. Her life, dedicated to the Lord, produced five faithful Christian servants. Lynn, dedicated her life to teaching children with deficiencies and helping churches to help families with needy children. Our three sons, Paul, John Mark, and David are missionaries in Brazil in France. Kathy, our last child, is married to Odali Barros, a Brazilian missionary. In their ministry they have cared for more than 150 needy children as their own children.
Alta, their dear mother was the person God used to prepare their lives to serve Jesus. Proverbs 22:6 ” Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” She taught them to read the Bible, to pray and to witness. Her Bible teaching through their youth was their Seminary training. 1 Timothy 2:15 “She shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.” Alta’s life, through our children, has 200 years of ministry; I have about 70.
I thank the Lord for the wonderful wife He gave me. Proverbs 12:4 “A virtous woman is a crown to her husband.”
Our children praise God for the wonderful mother He gave them. Proverbs 31:28 “Her children shall arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”
The future of our Mission Work depends on how you mothers permit God to use your lives. God bless you!
Our thanksgiving to you and our praise to Jesus our Lord,
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher in Brazil [October 2013]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
September 26, 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in Jesus’ Name from Brazil. Alta and I are doing well for two oldies. Alta has so much energy that I have a difficult task to keep up with her. Our weather is still very changeable and if you do not like what you have, just wait about five minutes and what you like will be along. Here, when you are having winter in the States, we are having summer. At this time, you are having Fall and we are having Spring; changeable temperatures every two days. Oh well, variety is the spice of life.
URAI–The work in Urai is going well with services being maintained at Sussumo mission, and Rancho Alegre. Presently, plans are being made to begin a new work in Serra Morena and in Nova America da Colina. Seminary Classes continue on Tuesday and Thursday nights with seven or eight students.
CHAPADA BAPTIST CHURCH CELEBRATED 53 years of existence on the 25 of September. The Pastor of the church is David Hatcher who was five years old when the church was established. When the work was begun, it was out in the boonies. Today, that area is the most active center in Manaus. The church has an attendance of about 5,000 each week. Let me tell you of one marvelous work of the Lord that happened recently. The Church had two special days of an Evangelistic program. One young man invited his father to attend. He attended with his son. Two weeks later the man was returning home and had a car wreck. He broke his neck and died. What a wonderful joy filled the hearts of many when they discovered that the dead man had trusted the Lord as his Savior on the night he came to the special service!
ASSAI–The new family working in this large town is being a blessing to many. Daniel, his wife Leticia, and their nine year-old daughter Milena, are working hard and God is blessing. They have special services for children and young people and then regular services for all. Several have been baptized. Please continue to pray for this family and this city.
SPECIAL NEED–Please pray for Sonha dos Santos. She is starting her light treatment for cancer and Valdir, her husband, has to take her every day for thirty days to the city of Londrina. This is a trip of 100 miles every day. Pray that God will provide their needs and heal this dear sister.
Pray for Alta and me that God will be our strength, wisdom and peace as we at weakened old age try to serve Him in spreading the Gospel through personal witnessing and prayer. We thank you who have been faithful in praying for and supporting us these many years. We love you.
Sincerely in Jesus’ Name,
John and Alta Hatcher
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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Missionary Update: John & Alta Hatcher in Brazil [September 2013]
Missionaries John and Alta Hatcher have served the Lord in Brazil since 1955, planting over 70 churches that are still in existence.
August 28, 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Good COLD morning to you all. Two days ago the temperature was in the nineties. Today, we are shivering with the temperature in low forties. God’s system of air conditioning is unequaled in its ability to change the weather rapidly. During the night, I woke up and Alta was putting another blanket on us. She said, “I am freezing.” While I write this note, the sun is shining brightly and the temperature is rising. I went to the store about 8:30 and Alta is busy cooking some of the things I bought because we are expecting our son Paul to arrive tomorrow in a surprise visit for a few days. What a joy fills our hearts when they come.
WORK IN ASSAI—Brother Daniel is the missionary pastor in Assai. He just called to greet us and to say that two persons with whom we worked and prayed for had been baptized. They are mother, Jirlene, and daughter, Mirela. We praise the Lord and thank Him for His work of Grace in these two lives. Please make the city of Assai a special item on your prayer list. A city of 20,000 population, it is the most difficult place we have ever worked in our entire ministry.
About 15 minutes ago, John Mark called us from France. Our hearts throb with joy when we receive calls from our children. Their work is going well and last Sunday they had wonderful services.
SPECIAL VISIT—While John Mark was on the telephone, Paul was trying to call us. He had just left Sao Paulo and was advising us that he would be here in about five hours. He will visit with us for about five days; what a special treat that will be!
URAI—The work here is going well. Pastor Marcio is doing a good job with the church and the mission points. The Congregation in Sussumo is going very well with a great group of adolescents. The three young people who work there are fine dedicated Christians—Wiler, Jeferson, and Odete. Marcio also pastors the Congregation in the little city of Rancho Alegre. They have services twice weekly. Presently, there is another dedicated brother in the ministry. He is married and they have four children. This week, he and the pastor are visiting two cities to decide where we will begin another Congregation. Praise the Lord for Pastors and people that pray and work for the spreading of the Gospel.
HEALTH—Kathy took me to see the doctor in Marilia. He is a great friend. My heart exam gave everything good. A complete blood exam, also, gave everything as very good. Praise the Lord for His benefits.
Sincerely, by the Grace of God,
John and Alta Hatcher
Caixa Postal 112
Urai, PR, Brazil 86280-000
jhatcher[at]uol.com.br
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